Hawks push Tigers out of the eight

A final quarter onslaught by Box Hill resulted in a disappointing 33-point VFL loss for Richmond at the weekend, pushing the Tigers out of the top eight.

Richmond led by as much as 27 points early in the second quarter and held that buffer throughout the rest of the term, but the Hawks would not be denied as they chipped away at the deficit in the third quarter to stay in touch.

After leading by 10-points at the start of the final quarter, Richmond was overrun as the Hawks kicked eight goals to one to end up victors, 15.16.106 to 11.7.73

The AFL-listed players who stood out for the Tigers were crafty forward Noah Cumberland who made the most of his opportunities, kicking three goals, while Jack Ross, Thomson Dow and Riley Collier-Dawkins worked hard throughout the game but were unable to halt the momentum shift.

Round nine of the VFL season will see Richmond take on Essendon at 2:45pm in a curtain raiser for the AFL Dreamtime at the 'G clash.

It was a big day for the Richmond Centrals Football Club in the VAFA as it celebrated "Past Players Day" to honour those who had represented the club since its inception in 1987, as well as hosting a quadruple header which saw three of its four teams taste victory.

In Division Three Seniors, the Centrals went down by 33-points to the South Melbourne Districts, 6.7.43 to 11.10.76. After a strong defensive display from both teams in the first half, the game opened up in the third term as South Melbourne took control with a six goal-to-none quarter.

Senior Men's coach George Koumantatakis put the defeat down to a slight drop off in pressure at the source of the contest which allowed South Melbourne to take full toll in the third quarter.

"They were able to win the ball at the source and get a couple of quick handballs out," he said.

"They started to hit their targets by foot and our pressure marginally fell off and it allowed them a bit more time with ball."

Despite the result, Koumantatakis was thrilled with how the day panned out for the club.

"It was a packed house which was fantastic, a lot of guys from the club's inception, including the founder, were there, so it was a pretty big day all round," he said.

"I think suburban community clubs really rely on their history to maintain their existence and relevance in a competitive market, so days like today are really important. You can't afford to forget your history as you try to forge your future."

The Reserves held off a determined Districts team by eight points to celebrate club stalwart Andrew Fraser's 150th game for the Centrals, in a career spanning more than a decade for the team.

Both of Richmond's women's teams put in strong performances notching wins across the Premier C Women's and Premier C Women's Reserves. The Senior Women's team picked up its first win of the season after defeating North Brunswick by 23 points while the reserves also recorded a 55-point win and sit second on the ladder.

Round seven will see Richmond's Division 3 Seniors versus Hawthorn at Rathmines Road Reserve this Saturday at 2pm as they look to get their season back on track.

Kew Men's Senior VAFA team recorded a 16-point win over a spirited Old Camberwell Grammarians outfit, 13.12.90 to 11.8.74. A slow start saw the Bears trail by three goals at quarter time but they reeled in the margin to one point come half-time, courtesy of a four-goal-to-two second term.

After half-time the Bears were able to get on top of the contest and gradually pulled away from the Grammarians, who fought out the game until the end. For Kew, Regan Smith and Peter Couvalias impressed throughout, while Lachlan Brown and Michael Hannan both kicked three goals.

Kew's Reserves made a statement to the competition after crushing the second placed Grammarians to the tune of 90 points, 15.9.99 to 1.3.9, in a top of the table clash. Will Llewelyn; who played his first game since round two, kicked a bag of five to take his season tally to 16 goals in three games.

In the William Bucks Premier Women's, Kew made it four wins in a row after defeating St Kevin's by five points in their own respective top of the table clash, 3.5.23 to 2.6.18.